WHY YOU SHOULD BOOK A CRUISE ON YOUR NEXT VACATION (Hint: It's NOT BORING)

This year marks my third time to go on a cruise with my family. We have done a 7-day Mediterranean cruise back in 2013, a 10-day Adriatic Sea and the Greek Isles cruise back in 2016 and this year, on our very first trip to the Caribbean, a 7-day Caribbean Cruise. And while going on a cruise is a regular thing for Americans who enjoy frolicking under the sun, it has always been dubbed as a boring, claustrophobic and time-consuming activity for most Filipinos. So here I debunk that theory that going on a cruise is boring.

OFFERS GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY

I think one of the reasons why my family and I choose to go on a cruise when we want to explore a lot of different places that require us to take an airplane is because it is always value for money. We spent $750 (37,500 pesos) for a 10-day Adriatic Sea cruise complete with unlimited food, good accommodation, and we got to explore Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Montenegro, Crete and Croatia! Imagine if we had to spend airfare just to travel to these islands, we would probably spend the same amount for an entire cruise. It has made everything easier for us. Not only that, we get to bond by participating in most of the cruise activities during the days at sea.

YOU GET TO SAVE ON HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS

When you book a cruise, it's an all-in-one package complete with your cabin, food, amenities and so much more! You don't have to go through the hassle of looking for a good hotel in a certain location because your hotel can bring you to places! Imagine waking up and getting a good view of the sea, the sunrise and a new island to explore!

FOOD IS UNLIMITED

I have said this above, but I swear, not only is the food unlimited, the variety of different food you get to try on board a cruise is a looooot! American, Indian, Filipino, Greek, Spanish, French... the list goes on! Plus, if you prefer a certain dish that is not on the menu or the buffet, you can simply ask the chef to make it for you! Even though we were cruising along the Greek Isles or the Caribbean, we were served adobo, ensaymada and pancit! Did I mention that the nationality with the most number of cruise ship crew are Filipinos? They were really friendly and accommodating!

EXPLORE MULTIPLE DESTINATIONS WITHOUT UNPACKING & RE-PACKING

For my family and I, one of the things we always consider when choosing a cruise itinerary are the destinations where the cruise ship docks. So it's safe to say that going on a cruise is not merely just for the sake of riding a boat and spending a week at sea, because going on a cruise means having a more relaxing mode of transportation from one place to another. You avoid the hassle of unpacking and re-packing your suitcases for your next destination because you only have to unpack once for multiple destinations! You can even plan out your clothes ahead of time and hang it in your cabin closet.

YOU GET TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY

Going on a cruise is such a good bonding experience for your family! Your days at sea means you get to enjoy an entire day going around the cruise ship, maybe go for a swim or participate in the trivia games, or simply relax inside your cabin. Cruise ships offer a list of the different day-to-day activities on-board, so you can plan whether you and your Dad want to participate in the doubles Table Tennis tournament, or you can join your mom in the morning Zumba lessons! There are so many things to do that everyone in your family can do!

SO MANY ONBOARD ACTIVITIES AT SEA

When you are at sea, there are so many things to do while you are cruising! This is probably one of the reasons why Filipinos hate to go on a cruise because they think they can't do anything while the cruise ship is at sea. And as I pointed out, there are so many activities to do in a day! In all the cruise ships I've been on, I've won 3 different medals by participating in a Golf Tournament with my Dad and Aunt, in a Scavenger Hunt with some of my newfound friends on board and in a Selfie Scavenger Hunt with my boyfriend. There are Zumba lessons and yoga lessons in the morning (which I always join alongside my mom), sports tournaments in the afternoon and broadway/adult comedy skits in the evening! I don't want to spoil the entire list of activities for you, so you'd have to find out for yourself! But trust me, it's always fun especially when you participate with your friends and family.

MEET NEW PEOPLE

There are so many different people you will encounter on board a cruise! The variety of ethnicities is always a lot! I have noticed that depending on the location, the more varied the ethnicities are! For our Caribbean cruise, majority of the people you will meet are mostly Americans, compared to if you book a cruise along Europe, it is always a mix of everything! Imagine the number of different people from across the world who travel all the way to Europe just to experience some of Europe's best islands! But meeting new people will also depend on if you are ready to interact with them. Aside from that, the size of the cruise ship is also a factor. I met a really good friend who is from London when we were on board Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas. It's a relatively small ship compared to the one we went on this year.

WATCH A REALLY GOOD SUNSET

Because you are at sea, the sunsets are always the best! We had to leave Santorini at around 7 in the evening and the sunset wasn't until 8pm so while we were cruising, we had a good view of the sunset reflecting the whole island of Oia, which was really wonderful!

EXPERIENCE NEW DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES WHILE AT SEA

I mean, zipline while at sea? Ice skating while at sea?? Night surfing while on sea??? While some ships don't have these kinds of amenities, the ships we went on actually had them on board! As a loyal cruiser of Royal Caribbean, we always enjoy the amenities they have on board! And if there's a first for everything, this is definitely it!

IT'S ALWAYS A DIFFERENT KIND OF ADVENTURE

I'm sure if you have travelled anywhere around the world, you are always used to the usual routine of booking an airplane, booking a hotel and exploring the city on your own. Going on a cruise is a whole new different kind of adventure because the experience you get out of it is very different from the usual! I have already stated why you should book a cruise on your next adventure, so this meaning of a "whole new different kind of adventure" would probably be up to you, but if it were up to me, I would say, going on a cruise is always fun-filled, family friendly and gives you a whole new way of discovering the different islands in the world!

So what are you waiting for? :) Experience going on a cruise for yourself and your family! I promise you, it will be an adventure of a lifetime!